Intended as a discussion group, the blog has evolved to be more of a reading list of current issues affecting our county, its government and people. All reasonable comments and submissions welcomed. Email us at: bill.pysson@gmail.com
REMEMBER: To view our sister blog for education issues: www.district100watchdog.blogspot.com

Friday, March 25, 2011

A clergy organization representing Jesuit priests in Western states has reached a $166.1 million agreement to settle approximately 524 claims of clergy sex abuse

represents Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Alaska and Montana -- will pay $48.1 million into a trust for the victims, while one of its insurance carriers will pay $118 million. In addition, the society will issue a written apology to victims, release their medical records to them and take steps to protect children from future sexual abuse.

After the lawsuits were filed in late 2008, the Oregon Diocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February 2009. Nearly 200 Alaskan claims were brought by John Manly of Manly and Stewart (California).

“This settlement recognizes that the Jesuits betrayed the trust of hundreds of young children in their care, and inflicted terrible atrocities upon them,” said Blaine Tamaki of Tamaki Law, which represented nearly a third of the non-Alaskan clients in the case. “These religious figures should have been responsible for protecting children, but instead raped and molested them.”

Recently I shared this Freedom of Information Request(FOIA) with my friends at the Boone County Journal. While it was not my intent for it to be published I think it can be a learning experience for all of us.

The county response is shown below my letter to the editor. Basically they said that the county is not selling the land currently, and supplied details of their marketing of the property in 2009.

I wonder if the county actually posted a request for bids before they rented this land for crops for 2011? Would that not also be prudent? Is that required by law? Of course it might take another FOIA to determine that.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

I recently viewed your March 16, 2011 Board meeting on Comcast. Board discussion regarding the renting of county owned crop lands indicated that some or all of the 68.5 acres is currently being marketed by the county for a possible sale. I have viewed the County’s website and find no indication that any county property is for sale and I am unaware of any recent advertisement in local newspapers.

If you are currently marketing this property the public has a right to know what marketing actions are currently taking place. If the county is not, that also should be clearly stated to the public.

I recall some months ago bids were requested for a portion of these lands however only one bid was apparently received and that was not accepted. (Please correct me if I am correct.)

Therefore under the Freedom of Information Act please provide all of the following information: 1. Please provide any marketing contract which the county entered regarding the sale or marketing for the sale of the croplands. Contracts with real estate agents, brokers, farm land brokers or advertisers. 2. If the county or its agent advertised the property for sale or bid in the last four months, please provide the details of the advertising. The approximate date of publication and the name and location of the publication. 3. If the property is being advertised on any free or government website/ publication, please supply the necessary information to locate those ads. 4. If any party, board member, or employee has been granted the permission to solicit bids/offers for the property, please provide the name(s) and the board action which authorized that action.

Please provide the above requested information within five working days as required by the Illinois Freedom of Information Act.

development, described at a news conference by Hidehiko Nishiyama, deputy director-general of the Japan Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, raises the possibility that radiation from the mixed oxides or mox fuel in the reactor — a combination of uranium and plutonium — could be released.

the injured workers, many of those risking their lives are subcontractors of Tokyo Electric, paid a small daily wage for hours of work in dangerous conditions. In some cases they are poorly equipped and trained for their task….ridiculous” that the workers had not been wearing full protective gear.

No. 3 the mox fuel. The nuclear industry has no experience with mox leaks, and it is possible that unusual patterns in the dispersal of radioactivity from the plant partly result from the mox, he said.

worry is not that the radiation would pose a threat to the vessels’ crews but that even trace contamination of the ducts could create problems for years in the extremely sensitive equipment that is designed to detect any hint of a radioactive leak from onboard systems